A strawberry delivery driver arrested by Border Patrol tries to make his way home

The lights never darkened, and Angel Mingguela Palacios couldn’t sleep. He made it feel like a large aluminum foil on his head, but he couldn’t set up on a concrete floor and use his tennis shoes as pillows.

Unqualified bodies could smell in the congested room he shared with 40 prisoners. Many listened to a man arrested in car wash or home warehouses, cried for their loved ones at night.

48 -year -old Mingguela thought about his cold and eight -year -old partner and three children at the Los Angeles ice plant, known as B 18. In the 10th year in the United States, he built a safe life in his house, where he dreamed of only in Mexico, rented with a humble single bedroom, in Christmas. Now they were all disintegrated.

On the morning of August 14, Mingguela was in the final delivery of the day and left strawberries in a tea room in Littlele Tokyo. Gov. Gavin Newsom did not know that President Trump had organized a news conference against the efforts of the US House of Representatives by redistributing in Texas. The US border patrol agents recently constitutes a demonstration of power outside the event.

When they came in, an agent narrowed into Mingguela’s delivery van. Soon, he was arrested for exceeding a tourist visa. As his lawyer said, Mingguela was “political, collateral damage”.

During his six days at B 18, a temporary immigration processing center, Mingguela watched that the prisoners chose to replace their own instead of staying in custody.

“No Aguanto Aqui“The men would say.” I can’t get it here. “

Mingguela said that harsh conditions were deliberate. He knew he had to stay for his family. But he wondered if he would do it.

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Minguela escaped from Mexico in 2015, partly caused the violence he faced there.

Ciudad Juárez said he had been kidnapped twice and stabbed by people who wanted to steal the money at some point. Employers lost their jobs after cutting the staff and helped to increase the decision to leave.

Mingguela came to Texas with a tourist visa and was drawn by La for business opportunities and many Spanish speakers. He had very little money, rented a room while looking for employment, and soon found a job in the production market in the city center.

He met the woman he named him Esposa, In the second job in the Piñata region in the second job in the second job to be called the fear of retaliation. They are not married, but Mingguela helped to raise two children and later autistic sons. Children – 15, 12 and 6 – all call him father.

Mingguela there, his esposa He said he never felt alone. He helped with laundry and cleaning. He played Roblox with his middle son and helped his 15 -year -old daughter, especially mathematics.

“He’d always be sure we’d stay on the road,” his daughter said. “He would always want the best for us.”

The photographs took the life they built in the La family in San Pedro for a boat journey. He celebrates Father’s Day and his birthdays with cakes and balloons. On a day of the dead celebration on Olvera Street in the city center.

Angel Minguela Palacios, eight -year -old partner and 6 -year -old sons.

(Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)

When migration raids began in June, their lives suddenly shrunk. Minggue rarely went out, left the house only for work and work. If he heard the rumors of immigrant officers near his high school, he would warn him, so he wouldn’t face the risk of taking it.

Mingguela had already planned, made copies of his switches, and left money for his family if he was caught by immigrant agents. But he never expected it to happen to it.

On August 14, the alarm was released at 1:15 in the morning, almost every day. He drank the coffee he brought him on his way to the product market, where he worked in the same company for eight years.

Mingguela helped to take the orders of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries before going out around 8 am.

His partner called on him to warn him on social media, and said that the ice officers were close to one of the delivery points. He was just there, and fortunately he missed them, dedi he said.

Little Tokyo was relieved because it was the last stop of the cookie. It did not open until 11:00 came after 10 minutes. He found a parking space on the front and began to drain the strawberry boxes and a box of apples.

Mingguela was adjusted wooden pallets in the van when he heard a hit. He turned to see a border patrol agent that began to ask him for his legal status. Instead of answering, Mingguela said that he had withdrawn a red “know your rights” card from his wallet and delivered it to the representative.

On August 14, Angel Mingguela Palacios took this image of a federal agent looking at its identity outside the Japanese American National Museum.

(Angel Rodrigo Minguela Palacios)

The agent told him “it doesn’t help” and gave it back. While holding his wallet, Mingguela said he wanted the agent’s license. After running his information, Mingguela said the agent had placed it in clamps.

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In B 18, the lights never closed. Regardless of the clock, Mingguela would call the officers from the room for interviews and make it difficult to get uninterrupted sleep. The temperature was very cold, the family members left a sweaters and jackets for loved ones.

The detainees were given thin, bright emergency blankets to sleep. He described them as “aluminum layers .. As the days went by, even these are over for new prisoners. The bathrooms provided no confidentiality. The prisoners spent days without showering.

He said the conditions felt deliberate. Müz pressure to make people sign to leave ”.

Officials of the Ministry of Interior Security told Times that the claim that there are subprime conditions in ICE detention centers is wrong ”.

When Minggue closed his eyes, he saw his family’s faces. Wondered how esposa He would keep them alone. He wanted to believe that this was a nightmare to wake up soon.

He played the morning events in his mind over and over again. What if he had come to Littlele Tokyo five minutes ago? Five minutes later?

“Those days were the most difficult, Ming Minggue said. “I cried my first day on the ground. It doesn’t matter if you are a man, your age doesn’t matter. There, the men cried.”

The men talked among themselves, most worried about their wives and children. They shared where they were bought. Mingguela estimated that approximately 80% of the people he was held were detained in car washing and home Depot. Others were arrested as they left the court hearings.

Mingguela said on the second day that he was only asked once if he wanted to place it on his own. He said no. But he watched he signed a few people to give up and leave. Mingguela hoped to be sent to Adelanto, a nearby detention center. He had heard that it could be more difficult to buy Bond in Texas or Arizona.

On the sixth day, around 4 am, Mingguela and more than 20 people were removed from the room and chained. After hearing a conversation between two guards, he learned that he would go to Arizona.

He felt, Mingguela said, “The Earth fell on me,” he said.

25 detainees were loaded on a white bus and spent about 10 hours on the road before arriving at a detention center near Casa Grande. When Mingguela first saw it, he was afraid in the desert, where the temperature hit 110 degrees. He looked like a prison.

“Ay Caray, Adonde Nos Trajeron”. Wow, where did they bring us?

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There were about 50 people in Mingguela’s wing. A Cellmate, an African immigrant, was fighting for five months of asylum, hoping to go to his family in Seattle.

For the first time since his youth, Mingguela had time to read books, including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who had not written to the Colonel ”. He read the Bible, and the Psalm, a prayer of trust and protection, is receiving comfort in 91. CPR has taken online courses on how to process computer skills and emotions.

However, he said that all distractions did not change the fact that the detainees were imprisoned.

“Lo que Mata Es El EncierroMing Minggue said. ” Don’t imprison what kills you. “

Angel Minggue Palacios spent more than a month in custody.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

Mingguela said that almost everyone came to fight for their cases. There were detainees fighting to make asylum for a year, others for eight months. Some of them were arrested despite their job permits. Others were defrauded for thousands of dollars by immigrant lawyers who had never been on the court hearings. Many of them decided to settle on their own.

If Bond is not given, Mingguela told his partner that he was afraid that he could do it in a moment of helplessness.

Mingguela was in his dark cell, reflecting the moments when he came home, from work and traffic, and scolded his children about little confusion. He had discussed his wife and gave him quiet treatment. He promised God to be an even better husband and father. He asked him to help his lawyer in his cause and give him a fair judge.

Mingguela had a bond hearing on September 9th. He helped the judge the fact that he had legally entered the country that provides the ability to bond or reject him.

Mingguela’s lawyer Alex Galvez told the judge the children of his client. He pointed out that Mingguela did not have a criminal record and that his family was employed in a lucrative way, the primary bread of his family. Galvez sent 16 advice to his client.

Angel Mingguela Palacios rays to his 6 -year -old son.

(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)

When the government lawyer referred to Mingguela as a flight risk, Galvez said that the judge appears to be skeptical and has paid tens of thousands of dollars for the last 10 years.

The judge gave a bond of $ 1,500. The employers of Mingguela’s production company paid this. When Minggue withdrew from his cell on the night of 17 September, other prisoners applauded.

“Bravo,” they shouted. “Echale Ganas.” Give them all.

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A crowd waited to greet Mingguela as soon as he left a Greyhound bus at the Union Station in La city center on Thursday night. All of his wife and three children wore black shirts that wrote “Welcome home”.

Magguela’s employer Martha Franco, his son Carlos Franco and his nephew organized balloons and flowers.

“He’s coming,” the kids shouted, when the bus stopped at 21:35, when he found the crowd waiting Minggue, he lays. His youngest son jumped up and down with expectation while leaving the bus.

“Estas Contentto“Minggue asked the child.” Are you happy? “

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He held him esposa He kisses him on the cheeks, foreheads and lips.

Mingguela knows that the version is just one step. His lawyer plans to file to cancel the abolition and hopes to get a work permit. Mingguela said that other immigrants wanted to know that there is “hopelessness, not hope”.

“Take faith,” Minggue said.

When Minggue came home after 22:00, he surprised his face for being met by more than a hundred red, gold and black balloon. Write the signs around the living room “God loves you” and “Welcome home we miss you so much”.

The partner had decorated and bought everything to celebrate his return Ceviche and Albondigas. But he didn’t have time to cook that day. Instead, he bought one of his favorites at home at home.

In-n-out dual pairs of double burgers and fries.